This blog will contain an assorted mixture of whatever that pours out of my mind and finds expression in words.. I love the beauty of words, I love my friends and above all I love the dark pearl of Dwaraka, the one and only Krishna

pachai maamalai pol mene

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Procedure for cleaning the teeth as per our sashtra.

We know there was no habit of cleaning the teeth in
the west and the Arabian countries till about three hundres years ago. However we have an ancient procedure which
cannot be younger than 2500 years.

प्रक्षाल्य चरणौ
हस्तौ मुखं चाथ यथविधि

आचम्य
प्राङ्ग़्मुकः स्थित्त्वा धन्तधावनमाचरेत्

आयुरित्यादि
मन्त्रोयम् उक्त्तश्शाखाभिमन्त्रणे

विनाभिमन्त्रणम्
तूष्णीं वृधास्याद्दन्तधावनं

अस्य प्रजापति
ऋसिः च्चन्दोऽनुष्टुप् वनस्पतिः

देवतेति हृदि
ध्यात्वा मन्त्रारम्भे वदेत् भुधः॥

आयुर्ब्बलं यशो
वर्चः प्रजा पशू वसूनिमा

ब्रह्मप्रज्ञां च
मेधां च त्वन्नो देहि वनस्पते॥

अभिमन्त्र्य हृतां
शाखाम् मन्त्रेणानेन वै द्विजः

अध ऊर्ध्वक्रमेणैव
धावयेत् शाखया तया

वामभागं समारम्भ्य
प्रादक्षिण्य क्रमेण तु

सर्वे कन्टकिनः
पुण्याः क्षीरिण्यश्च यशस्कराः

अष्टाङ्गुलेन
मानेन दन्तकाष्टमिहोच्यते

पूर्वोत्तरे तु
दिक्भागे सर्वान् कामन् अवाप्नुयात्।

prakSaalya charaNau hastau mukhaM chaatha yathavidhi

aachamya praa~NGmukaH sthittwaa
dhantadhaavanamaacharet

aayurityaadi mantroyam ukttashshaakhaabhimantraNe

vinaabhimantraNam tuuSNiiM vR^idhaasyaaddantadhaavanaM

asya prajaapati R^isiH chchando.anuSTup vanaspatiH

devateti hR^idi dhyaatwaa mantraarambhe vadet
bhudhaH..

aayurbbalaM yasho varchaH prajaa pashuu vasuunimaa

brahmapraj~naaM cha medhaaM cha twanno dehi
vanaspate..

abhimantrya hR^itaaM shaakhaam mantreNaanena vai
dwijaH

adha uurdhwakrameNaiva dhaavayet shaakhayaa tayaa

vaamabhaagaM samaarambhya praadakSiNya krameNa tu

sarve kanTakinaH puNyaaH, kSiiriNyashcha
yashaskaraaH

aSTaa~Ngulena maanena dantakaaSTamihochyate

puurvottare tu dikbhaage sarvaan kaaman avaapnuyaat.

1.One has to wake up in the Brahma muhurtam, wash
the feet , hands and face,

2.Perfrom the aachamanam facing east and the
cleaning of the teeth should be done in a standing posture.

3.One has to chant the vanaspati mantram..

4 Aayurbaalam yaso varchah praj pashu vasoonima
bramaprajnaam che medhaama cha twam no dehi vanaspte... the rishi for the mantra
is Prajapti, the metre is Anushtup and the Devata in Vanaspathi.. the growths
of the forests. ( Vanaspati is a general term denoting all the flora and fauna. But Sushruta and Charaka refer to Vanaspati as the trees which bear fruits but we cannot see evidence of flowering))

5 The meaning of the Vanaspati manthra is “ You the treess and
herbs of the forest, please bless me
with long life, fame, brahma varchas, children, cattle, wealth, realization of
brahmam, and sharp intellect, because I am going to clean my teeth with your
twigs.

6 The twig from a tree should have been picked before chanting this mantra. If someone cleans his teeth without this
thanksgiving and prayer, his mouth will
remain stale.

7 The order
of cleaning the teeth is from bottom of the teeth to the up staring from the
left molarsa and going up and down and round clockwise.

8.The twig should have a length of at least eight inches.

9 All twigs with thorns are good for cleaning the
teeth and the twigs which ooze milk are more beneficial. (Thank God rubber was
not yet in India at that time).

10 If one cleans his teeth with twig standing facing the directionof north-east (eesana direction) , he shall be blessed with whatever he
desires

11.There are some days when toothcleaning is prohibited.
Prthama, Amavasya, Shashti, Ashtami, Navami and Sankarama Dina . (Cleaning the teeth is not advised on days of Sraaddham, and other special pitru dinams..)

12 On these days and if a person is not able procure
a proper twig to clean the teeth anyday,
he should fill his mouth full with water and gurgle and spit out the
water twelve times at a stretch.(gargling)

13 Anyway our ancestors were better that modern times in some ways.

14 Now we don’t brush before first tea or coffee..brush with animal
gelatine.. some chemicals are added which give only temporary relief from
the oral bacteria and stench..

15 By western
standards it is okey because even queen victoria did not clean her teeth.

16 May be the reason for immense population in India over the years was our habit of cleaning the teeth and mouth for at least 25 cetnuries now. Oral hygeine definitely enhances chances of intimate human contacts.